"Accomplish the great task by a series of small acts" (Tao Te Ching)

books:


	• One Small Step Can Change Your Life: The Kaizen Way Robert Maurer Workman Publishing Company, 2004 - 192 pages average customer review:based on 40 reviews view larger image
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highly recommended

One small step at a time

Most of us are familiar with goal setting. We have goals, either to loose weight, do the the taxes, look for a new job... and our usual method in doing so is to dedicate ambitious amounts of time and effort to reach the finish line as rapidly as possible. However, if you're like me the sheer immensity of the task oftens leads to procrastination. The bigger the goal, the more likely I'm to put it off. This is where kaizen comes in. Rather than trying to get everything done in one big step, kaizen teaches us to break it up into little chunks, that way the jobs don't seem quite as unapproachable. Granted, results might seem slow at first when all you're doing is 3 push-ups a day for 2 weeks, however, this momentum gradually builds and within several months you'll easily wade into an exercise routine.

The book is easy to read and short. The author starts off explaining what kaizen is and why it's effective. He then devotes subsequent chapters applying the concepts for everyday situations. He gives plenty of examples and minimize on fluff. Overall a worthwhile read.

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Ask Small Questions

What a powerful message that helps to reframe the age old question "Why?" Instead Robert Maurer demonstrates how to ask productive questions that will bring successful answers. Kaizen is a remarkably simple technique that I share with my clients to bring about the life changes they desire. It's a small book with enormous results.

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What a Great Book

I finished this book yeaterday and immediately started implementing it in my own life which I am sure I will do for the rest of my life. What really has my mind working overtime on though, is the thought of using these techniques in education. I always have tried to take small steps, starting at the beginning with my students and have small rewards, and those are the things that worked. I hope to figure out how to package this for teachers, schools and for use in the classroom.
Send me an e-mail if you have any thoughts on the matter.

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"Accomplish the great task by a series of small acts" (Tao Te Ching)

The author explains that many of us are overwhelmed with the magnitude of the effort, discipline and change required to accomplish a major personal or professional objective. Many of us try to run a marathon (lose weight, quit smoking, etc) without any pre-race training - the outcome - pain and/or inability to finish. So we start, stop, start, stop and eventually we condition ourselves to failure. Dr. Maurer explains that success is derived by understanding the root problem, taking small actions by breaking it down into small segments and reward yourself to gather and maintain momentum. Author explains that by stringing together small pearls you eventually acquire the necklace you desire. The book can be read in one sitting in less than a few hours and was worth my time. The Chapter headings are:

Intro: One Small Step
1) Why Kaizen Works
2) Ask Small Questions
3) Think Small Thoughts
4) Take Small Actions
5) Solve Small Problems
6) Bestow Small Rewards
7) Identify Small Moments
8) Kaizen for Life

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Surprisingly Good Little Book

Well written, easy suggestions, essentially the message is clear - take small steps toward positive outcomes and keep taking them until they become part of you and your life. In that way, over time, you will find it possible to make major changes in your life. All the kaizen references are a bit annoying, and, as another reviewer stated, the kaizen program is all about manufacturing and as such using kaizen in this way has no real relevance... however, despite that, a very good little book!

reviews: page 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8

Introducing the practical and inspirational guide to incorporating Kaizen and its powerful principles into one's daily life. Rooted in the two thousand-year-old wisdom of the Tao Te Ching--"The journey of a thousand miles begins with a single step"--Kaizen is the art of making great and lasting change through small, steady increments. Kaizen is the tortoise versus the hare. Kaizen is the eleven Fortune 500 companies that significantly outperformed the market through moderate, step-by-step actions. Kaizen is losing weight not by a crash diet (which more often than not crashes) but by eating one bite less at each meal--then, a month later, eating two bites less. Kaizen is starting a life-changing exercise program by standing--just standing--on a treadmill for one minute a day.

Written by an expert on Kaizen--Dr. Robert Maurer, a psychologist on the staff at the UCLA medical school who speaks and consults nationally--One Small Step is the gentle but potent way to effect change. Beginning by outlining the all-important role that fear plays in all types of change--and Kaizen's ability to circumvent it--Dr. Maurer then explains the 7 Small Steps: how to Think Small Thoughts, Take Small Actions, Solve Small Problems, and more. He shows how to perform mind sculpture--visualizing virtual change so that real change comes more naturally. Why small rewards motivate better than big rewards. How great discoveries are made by paying attention to the little details most of us overlook. Hundreds of examples of Kaizen at work grace the book, as well as quotes from W. Edwards Deming (who brought Kaizen to Japanese industry), Peter Drucker, coach John Wooden, and others.

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